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Yes definitely. I've thought about this for years, if McDonald's can do it, why can't everyone else?

As a person who reads every ingredient of every label of every product I pick up from the shelf, I would love to be able to read a menu in a restaurant, and see, straight away, the ingredients of every dish, and the nutritional information.

I don't understand why its demanded of any brand that sells any food product that goes into a supermarket to have detailed nutritional information on the packaging, but not of restaurants. They are still serving food aren't they? We are going to consume that food, and that food may have a damaging effect on our health, so shouldn't we have that information printed in black and white for us?

McDonald's has a reputation of selling us "bad food", but they show us nutritional information. They know that most of their food is high in calories, fat and salt, but they still show us. Why? So that they can say that each customers decision to eat in their establishment was their own informed choice.

If we get this from a food chain, where most of us eat the food on the go, why can't we get it from a restaurant, where we will sit with our friends and families, spend a good amount of time there, gorging ourselves, usually on far more food than we ever would in McDonald's.

For a lot of people going out for dinner to a restaurant is a treat, something that isn't done a lot, for some others, eating out is a regular occurance in their lives. No matter which bracket you fall into, I think everyone has a right to fully know what they are eating.

If you went into your favourite restaurant tomorrow, sat down, made yourself comfortable, looked at the menu, and noticed that the meal that you usually have contains over half the calories, fat, salt etc intended for the day, would you still order it? Perhaps, you would. But most likely, you would take a good long look at that menu and look for something that is the healthier option!

Having nutritional information on all food that we eat, no matter where we eat it, is no bad thing. It might lead to people asking for smaller size portions, salad without the dressing, sharing desserts, or going without, and would that really be so horrible? People being informed of what they are putting into their bodies? Helping themselves have a healthier diet?

No nutrional information on food equals kidding yourself into what it really contains. A slice of cheese cake delivered to your table, a small slice, will only contain ,at the most, two hundred calories. That's in your head of course! that little slice of cheese cake probably contains nearer to the five hundred calorie mark! If you had seen that on the menu, might you have gone for the fruit salad or the sorbet? I know I certainly would.

Learn more about this author, Anna Maria Ryan.
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